Doesn't everybody? I taught my annual career lesson today, this time to my 6th graders. As I progressed through the day I was reminded of the dream of so many students: to be a professional athlete. The career website we were using had a link to Professional Athlete and several students asked me right away after they did their survey if that was on there as a job selection. (Mind you, the results of the survey NEVER suggest Professional Athlete as a possible career opportunity).
I think it's great that kids can dream big. We counselors try never to say, "OH NO, YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO DO THAT." We ask them to have a back up plan and remind them that less than 1% of the population holds that as their career.
A couple of years ago I had a student at the high school I thought might actually have the chance to make it in the pro, so I insisted that he give me a signed picture before he graduated and told him I would never try to sell it on Ebay. Surprisingly, another student who graduated the same year and plays for Butler University in Indianapolis actually may have that chance. We got his autograph at the state championship celebration last year. If you follow college basketball you may recognize his name as Gordon Hayward.
Oh to be a professional athlete and enjoy fame and glory for a short time. We must remember though, that the most important jobs are usually the one no one spotlights on the evening news~and we must keep plugging away. Thanks to Brian Williams from NBC nightly news, they now have an evening clip at the end of their broadcast called "Making a Difference." It is the 3 minute highlight of my weekday evenings!
You are a good writer. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think a lot of students realize that strong grades from 9th grade on, SAT/ACT scores and taking courses that meet NCAA eligibility requirements are important if they are looking to play in college. It would be nice if they knew this early on so they can really try to work toward making this dream a possibility.
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